Tart Cherries
In one randomized, placebo-controlled trial, adults consuming Montmorency tart cherry juice slept approximately 40 minutes longer each night and had 6% better sleep efficiency when compared to placebo. A pilot trial involving older adults with insomnia found that tart cherry juice consumed twice-daily significantly improved total sleep time by 84 minutes and sleep efficiency. Another study showed that consuming tart cherry juice increased blood melatonin levels and was associated with modest improvements in sleep quality and duration among healthy adults. Tart cherry juice's sleep magic may be due to its content of natural melatonin, as well as tryptophan and antioxidants.
[1,2,3,4]
Walnuts
Results of a randomized controlled trial published recently in Food & Function suggest that consuming a handful of walnuts per day with dinner may benefit sleep. Study participants experienced improvements in several measures of sleep quality after regularly consuming walnuts for eight weeks compared with periods when they weren't eating walnuts. Nightly walnut consumption was associated with increased levels of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (a urine biomarker of melatonin) in the evening, as well as falling asleep more quickly, improved sleep quality scores, and reduced daytime sleepiness. Walnut nutrients likely responsible for these findings include melatonin, tryptophan, magnesium, and B vitamins.
[1,2,3.4,5]
Kiwifruit
Kiwifruit has been shown to improve sleep in individual studies. Adults with sleep problems who consumed two kiwifruits 1 hour before bedtime over 4 weeks showed significantly reduced time taken to fall asleep and the number of night-time awakenings, increased total sleep time, and increased sleep efficiency. Another study, examining the effects of kiwifruit on sleep in elite athletes, also found that consuming two kiwifruits per night improved total sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and subjective sleep quality using the same nightly consumption protocol. Kiwifruit may improve sleep due to its serotonin, antioxidant, and melatonin-like properties.
[1,2,3,4]
Functional Mushrooms
Preclinical research suggests that reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) extract improves sleep onset latency and total sleep time in animals, likely through its modulation of neurotransmitters, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. A review of the sleep-enhancing properties of edible and medicinal mushrooms, including Ganoderma, Cordyceps, and Poria finds that their polysaccharide and triterpene compounds have demonstrated sedative-hypnotic effects in preclinical research. Mushroom extract supplements have been studied in small pilot human trials, which reported improvements in subjective measures of sleep quality and perceived stress.
[1,2,3,4,5]
Sweet dreams!